Insurance in Sweden: What You Really Need

If you move to Sweden, you will quickly notice that insurance works a little differently here. Much of what you might buy as separate policies elsewhere comes bundled into a single package in Sweden – the hemförsäkring. At the same time, there are new terms, different building blocks and a few quirks worth knowing about.

In this post you get an overview of the most important types of insurance, a checklist for your first weeks and tips on how to cleanly wind down your old policies back home.

Hemförsäkring – the most important insurance of all

The hemförsäkring (home contents insurance) is not required by law in Sweden, but practically everyone has one. Many landlords expect it, and it covers far more than a typical contents policy in many other countries. A standard hemförsäkring consists of several parts:

• Egendomsskydd – cover for your belongings, e.g. after a burglary, fire or water damage.
• Ansvarsskydd – personal liability: if you cause damage to others and are liable to pay compensation.
• Rättsskydd – a form of legal expenses cover for certain disputes (with an excess and limitations).
• Överfallsskydd – compensation if you are the victim of assault or violent crime.
• Reseskydd – travel cover for holidays, more on that below.

Important: In Germany, for example, personal liability and contents insurance are usually separate policies. In Sweden, liability cover is normally part of the hemförsäkring, so you usually don't need a separate liability policy.

Reseskydd – built-in travel cover

Almost every hemförsäkring includes travel cover. It pays, for example, for emergency medical and dental care abroad or necessary transport back to Sweden. According to the consumer advice service Konsumenternas, this cover normally applies to the first 45 days of a trip. If you travel for longer, you need separate travel insurance. Cancellation cover (avbeställningsskydd) is often not included in the basic policy.

Drulle – the all-risk add-on

You will hear the word drulle a lot. It refers to allriskförsäkring – an add-on that covers sudden, unforeseen accidents: your phone falls on the floor, your laptop gets coffee spilled on it, your glasses break. Such damage is usually not covered by the basic policy. The all-risk add-on often extends your travel cover too, for example with cancellation protection.

Our tip: Especially with children and lots of electronics, the drulle add-on is often worth it. Just check the självrisk (excess) and the maximum amounts for individual items.

Villaförsäkring and bostadsrätt – if you own property

Depending on how you live, you need a different variant:

• Hyresrätt (rented flat): A regular hemförsäkring is enough. The landlord insures the building itself.
• Bostadsrätt (cooperative flat): In addition to your hemförsäkring, you usually need a bostadsrättstillägg. It covers damage to things you are responsible for as the flat holder – such as kitchen, bathroom or floors. Check whether your housing cooperative (bostadsrättsförening) already has a collective policy for this.
• House or holiday home: Here you need a villaförsäkring (often combined as a "villahemförsäkring"). It covers the building and your belongings. For a fritidshus (holiday home) there is a separate fritidshusförsäkring.

If you buy a house with a mortgage, the bank will normally require building insurance. So sort it out before you get the keys.

Typical pitfalls with houses are water damage, frozen pipes and pest damage. Many insurers also offer add-ons such as cover for hidden defects (dolda fel) when buying a house – it is worth reading the terms.

Bilförsäkring – trafik, halv or hel?

Trafikförsäkring (third-party motor insurance) is mandatory for every car registered in Sweden – the only exception being vehicles that are taken off the road (avställd). Beyond that, there are three levels:

1. Trafikförsäkring – the mandatory minimum. It pays for personal injuries (including you and your passengers) and damage you cause to other people's property with the car. Your own car is not covered.
2. Halvförsäkring – includes trafikförsäkring plus cover for theft, fire, glass damage, breakdown and towing (räddning), mechanical failure and legal expenses – roughly comparable to partial comprehensive cover.
3. Helförsäkring – halvförsäkring plus vagnskadeförsäkring. This also pays for damage to your own car, for example after an accident you caused or vandalism – similar to fully comprehensive cover.

According to Konsumenternas, many new cars come with a vehicle damage warranty (vagnskadegaranti) for the first few years. In that case, halvförsäkring is often enough. For older cars with a low value, helförsäkring may not be worth it either.

If you bring your car from abroad: while it has foreign plates, your existing insurer is responsible. As soon as you register the car in Sweden, you need Swedish insurance. Ask your current insurer for a no-claims certificate – some Swedish insurers take your claim-free years into account.

Olycksfall and barnförsäkring

Medical care after an accident is generally provided by the public healthcare system of your region. A private olycksfallsförsäkring (accident insurance) pays additional compensation, for example for permanent disability, dental injuries or treatment costs.

For children, barnförsäkring (child insurance) is very common. It usually covers not only accidents but also serious illness – and that is exactly what makes it valuable. Many municipalities do have accident insurance for pupils, but it often only applies during school or preschool hours.

• Take out barnförsäkring as early as possible – later on, a health assessment may exclude certain conditions.
• Compare the sum insured and whether the policy continues after the child turns 18.
• Ask your municipality which accident insurance already applies for school and preschool.

Income protection – a-kassa and inkomstförsäkring

If you become unemployed in Sweden, the a-kassa (unemployment insurance fund) is responsible. Membership is voluntary – without it you only get a lower basic level of support. The a-kassa pays part of your previous income, but only up to a ceiling. Since the reform in October 2025, the level also depends on how long you have been a member – you only get the full benefit after 12 months of continuous membership. So it's best to join right after you start your job.

That is why inkomstförsäkring exists: income insurance that fills the gap above that ceiling. It is automatically included in the membership fee of many trade unions (fackförbund). A requirement is almost always that you are also a member of an a-kassa.

If your employer has a kollektivavtal (collective agreement), you are often also covered by collective insurance policies – for example for work injuries or with term life insurance. Ask HR what is already included before you buy the same cover privately.

Which policies back home you can cancel

Once you move to Sweden, many policies from your home country become unnecessary. If you are moving from Germany, here is a rough overview – the exact rules are always in your policy terms:

• Contents insurance (Hausrat): When you permanently move abroad, it usually ends or you have a special right to cancel. Notify your insurer early.
• Personal liability (Privathaftpflicht): Replaced by the liability cover in your Swedish hemförsäkring. Only cancel once your Swedish cover is in place.
• Car insurance: Ends when the car is deregistered in Germany.
• Legal expenses insurance: Usually only has limited validity abroad – check and cancel if needed.
• Health insurance: A separate topic. Clarify with your health insurer when and how your membership ends.

Don't cancel hastily long-term contracts such as disability, life or private pension insurance. Many remain valid worldwide, and taking out a new policy later is often more expensive. If in doubt, get independent advice.

Comparing and signing up

In Sweden you can almost always take out insurance online – usually you need a personnummer and often BankID. Here's how to go about it:

1. Get a neutral overview on Konsumenternas.se. It is backed by, among others, the Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverket), the financial supervisory authority (Finansinspektionen) and the insurance industry association, and offers comparisons and explanations without a sales agenda.
2. Get quotes via comparison sites such as Compricer or Insplanet, or directly from large insurers such as Folksam, If, Länsförsäkringar or Trygg-Hansa.
3. Don't just look at the price: compare the självrisk, maximum amounts and what is included in the basic cover.
4. Ask about bundle discounts if you take out home, car and child insurance with the same company.

Trade unions and some employers also offer discounted group insurance – worth checking out.

Our conclusion

To get started in Sweden, you mainly need a hemförsäkring (or villaförsäkring), trafikförsäkring if you have a car, and ideally an early barnförsäkring for your children. Consider the drulle add-on, and join an a-kassa with inkomstförsäkring once you start working. Only cancel policies back home once your Swedish cover is active – and keep an eye on long-term protection. That way you are well covered without paying twice.